SPEKE, John Henning (1827-1864). Autograph letter signed to an unidentified correspondent [the Revd. Dr. James Stewart], 79 Eccleston Square [London], 30 June n.y. [1864] , acknowledging a letter and saying that he has applied to the Government for permission to open a commercial treaty with the King of Unyoro 'by which the iniquitous proceedings of the White Nile traders would be put down and the richest fields in the world would be prepared for the advance of Civilisation and its natural consequences', recommending areas of missionary activity, adding 'All the Zanzibar coast is bad in every respect I would advise no one to go there', attributing the Government's reluctance to give him 'a decided answer' to their bad experiences with Zanzibar, 'the tricks the Missionaries have been playing in Abyssinia' and other causes and in conclusion 'Hoping you and Dr. Livingstone will be more fortunate than myself', 4 pages, 8vo ; and 'Manuscript instructions for anyone going to Africa', 2 pages, folio , in an unidentified hand. Speke had returned to England in the summer of 1863, following his epic journey down the Nile from its source in Victoria Nyanza. His Journal of the Discovery of the Nile was published the same year. He and his companion James Grant were the first Europeans to cross Equatorial Eastern Africa. His discoveries and the publication were nonetheless received with a certain amount of scepticism and hostility, including criticism from Burton. Speke himself was much preoccupied as this letter suggests by the importance, in his eyes, of introducing Christianity to Africa, with a Western system of trade and education, and the lack of an enthusiastic response to his proposals must account for the somewhat depressed tone of the letter. These were also the ambitions of his correspondent, James Stewart (1831-1905), who was sent out to Africa by the Free Church of Scotland, to prospect for a mission station, with the object of combining evangelism with cotton production. Stewart escorted Mary Livingstone on her journey to join her husband, arriving in Africa in February 1862, and was later to conduct her funeral service there. He accompanied Livingstone on the Zambesi expedition, and in 1864 he had returned to Scotland to complete his medical studies. Ten years later he founded the Scottish mission station on Lake Nyasa, calling it Livingstonia, and later became principal of the mission at Lovedale in Cape Province. In 1899 he was appointed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland. Speke himself was dead within three months of the present letter, as the result of an accident with his gun while out partridge shooting. He died on the morning of the day on which he was to have debated the exploration of the Nile publicly with Burton. Livingstone was among those who attended his funeral. (2)
SPEKE, John Henning (1827-1864). Autograph letter signed to an unidentified correspondent [the Revd. Dr. James Stewart], 79 Eccleston Square [London], 30 June n.y. [1864] , acknowledging a letter and saying that he has applied to the Government for permission to open a commercial treaty with the King of Unyoro 'by which the iniquitous proceedings of the White Nile traders would be put down and the richest fields in the world would be prepared for the advance of Civilisation and its natural consequences', recommending areas of missionary activity, adding 'All the Zanzibar coast is bad in every respect I would advise no one to go there', attributing the Government's reluctance to give him 'a decided answer' to their bad experiences with Zanzibar, 'the tricks the Missionaries have been playing in Abyssinia' and other causes and in conclusion 'Hoping you and Dr. Livingstone will be more fortunate than myself', 4 pages, 8vo ; and 'Manuscript instructions for anyone going to Africa', 2 pages, folio , in an unidentified hand. Speke had returned to England in the summer of 1863, following his epic journey down the Nile from its source in Victoria Nyanza. His Journal of the Discovery of the Nile was published the same year. He and his companion James Grant were the first Europeans to cross Equatorial Eastern Africa. His discoveries and the publication were nonetheless received with a certain amount of scepticism and hostility, including criticism from Burton. Speke himself was much preoccupied as this letter suggests by the importance, in his eyes, of introducing Christianity to Africa, with a Western system of trade and education, and the lack of an enthusiastic response to his proposals must account for the somewhat depressed tone of the letter. These were also the ambitions of his correspondent, James Stewart (1831-1905), who was sent out to Africa by the Free Church of Scotland, to prospect for a mission station, with the object of combining evangelism with cotton production. Stewart escorted Mary Livingstone on her journey to join her husband, arriving in Africa in February 1862, and was later to conduct her funeral service there. He accompanied Livingstone on the Zambesi expedition, and in 1864 he had returned to Scotland to complete his medical studies. Ten years later he founded the Scottish mission station on Lake Nyasa, calling it Livingstonia, and later became principal of the mission at Lovedale in Cape Province. In 1899 he was appointed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland. Speke himself was dead within three months of the present letter, as the result of an accident with his gun while out partridge shooting. He died on the morning of the day on which he was to have debated the exploration of the Nile publicly with Burton. Livingstone was among those who attended his funeral. (2)
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
